Five vials? That was far from enough for her talisman-crafting needs.
Seeing her displeasure, the clerk quickly explained, “Phantom Spectral-Jade Butterflies are delicate creatures that feed exclusively on the nectar of Spectral-Jade Flowers. And these Spectral-Jade Flowers are extremely difficult spiritual plants to cultivate...”
That was indeed true. The flower was of little direct use to cultivators and notoriously hard to grow. The only reason anyone dedicated time to raising them was that spirit beasts—especially spirit butterflies—relished their nectar.
This was especially true for the Phantom Spectral-Jade Butterfly, which fed on nothing else. Without this nectar, they would rather starve to death, so it was no surprise that their name included the words 'Spectral-Jade.'
The clerk continued, “The Hundred Flowers Sect only possesses a single Spectral-Jade Flower garden, barely twenty feet across. The number of Phantom Spectral-Jade Butterflies it can sustain is naturally small, so the phosphor powder produced is equally scarce. Our firm was only able to secure five vials by taking advantage of our connection to the main sect.”
“If you don't believe me, honored customer, you may inquire at the shops outside and see if any other store sells it!”
He spoke with absolute confidence. Shi Yu neither confirmed nor denied his words, remaining silent with her brows slightly furrowed. “Five vials aren't enough for what I need... Oh well, wrap them up for now.”
Saying this, she pulled out five hundred medium-grade spirit stones.
The clerk’s face broke into a broad smile. After verifying the spirit stones, his attitude toward Shi Yu became even more polite. He ushered the party of four upstairs into a tearoom reserved for distinguished guests. “Please wait here for a moment, honored guests. The phosphor powder will be brought up shortly.”
With that, he served tea and bowed respectfully as he backed out of the room.
As soon as he left, Ji Yu couldn't help asking, “Big Sister, could a trading firm this massive really only have five vials of phosphor powder?”
Shi Yu picked up her teacup and took a light sip, the rising steam veiling her expression. “It's merely hoarding to inflate the value. If there truly were only five vials left, why would they sell them to me so easily?”
“Then why...?” He scratched his head, unable to understand why they wouldn't sell goods they possessed. “Why hide them away when there's business to be done?”
Beside them, Mo Tong glanced at him and smiled faintly. “You worked in a shop for so long, yet you still don't understand such a simple concept?”
Ji Yu blinked his clear eyes, filled with confusion.
Seeing him lose his usual sharpness and look so utterly clueless, Shi Yu found him quite endearing and chuckled softly. “At any rate, one thing the clerk said was true: except for the Hundred Flowers Firm, no shop outside will have this phosphor powder for sale.”
Since it was a rare commodity, it was only natural for merchants to resort to tactics like cornering the market and driving up prices.
“It's not just the Phantom Spectral-Jade Butterfly phosphor powder. If you want to buy other rare and hard-to-find powders, they will likely claim to have only three to five vials available as well.”
Phosphor powder was a common ingredient in crafting Tier-3 and higher spirit talismans. Phantom Spectral-Jade Butterfly phosphor powder, for instance, was essential not only for the Flying Star Dragon-Wandering Talisman but also for several other practical spirit talismans. With such low yield, its price naturally remained exorbitant.
“As for why, you'll find out in a moment.”
The four did not wait long in the tearoom. Soon, a middle-aged cultivator with the air of a manager knocked and entered, followed by the clerk from earlier.
The manager greeted them politely. “Greetings, honored guests. I am a manager of the Hundred Flowers Firm, surname Wang.”
He had sharp eyes. Though the four sat spread out, he discerned at a single glance from their expressions that Shi Yu was the leader of the group. Turning slightly toward her, he gestured with his hand, and the clerk behind him stepped forward carefully bearing a tray. On it were five thumb-sized jade vials arranged neatly.
“Here is the phosphor powder you requested, honored customer. Please inspect them.”
Shi Yu picked one up, pulled out the wooden cork, examined it briefly, and sniffed it before nodding. “Correct.”
Manager Wang’s smile broadened. “I hear you require a substantial amount of phosphor powder, honored customer?”
Shi Yu stored away the five vials. Seeing the implication behind his words, she calmly asked, “Can Manager Wang obtain more?”
He hastily waved his hands. “I am merely a humble manager. How could I possess such capability? However...”
Manager Wang lowered his voice slightly. “If you truly desire more, young lady, there is a way.”
He reached into his sleeve, retrieved an exquisitely crafted object shaped like a silver coin, set it on the table, and used two fingers to slide it toward Shi Yu.
“This is...?” Shi Yu picked up the silver token and examined it, noting intricate floral patterns carved onto its surface with a faint spiritual glow shimmering beneath.
Manager Wang said, “In seven days, the Hundred Flowers Sect will host an auction where various types of phosphor powder will be offered. You will surely find what you need there, honored guest.”
Shi Yu understood immediately. This silver coin item was undoubtedly an entry pass for the auction. With a flip of her palm, she stowed it away.
Seeing her accept it, Manager Wang grew even more attentive. “I assume the clerk mentioned that Spectral-Jade Flowers are extremely difficult to cultivate. Within the Hundred Flowers Sect, there is only a single Spectral-Jade Flower garden twenty feet across, so the number of Phantom Spectral-Jade Butterflies it can sustain has always been fixed.”
“However, the number of spirit pupae born this year far exceeds previous years. Once these spirit pupae emerge from their cocoons as butterflies...”
Shi Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. “There won't be enough nectar to feed them?”
Manager Wang squinted with a smile. “You are remarkably sharp, honored guest. Since the Spectral-Jade Flower garden cannot support these newborn spirit pupae, the sect intends to put some of them up for auction as well. I wonder if you might be interested?”
Shi Yu smiled. “Even if I were interested in the spirit pupae, Spectral-Jade Flowers are so hard to grow. Without nectar, all I would end up with is a pile of dead butterflies.”
No matter how hard Spectral-Jade Flowers were to cultivate, could they possibly compare to the Heavenly Tone Lotus? With the Fate-Tapping Bell, raising an entire flower garden wouldn't be difficult for her—though there was no need to disclose this to outsiders.
Hearing her response, Manager Wang was not surprised and chuckled along. “There will also be items like spirit bee royal jelly and honey. You can feel free to take a look when the time comes, honored guest.”
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the manager escorted them to the entrance. Before they departed, he gave them a few more details regarding the auction.
Shi Yu agreed with a smile, though she sighed inwardly. If I have to buy phosphor powder at the auction, I'm afraid the price will be far higher than this...
Beside her, Ji Yu finally understood what Shi Yu had meant back in the tearoom. He grumbled angrily, “Forcing us to go to the auction so we have to spend even more spirit stones just to get what we need! How infuriating!”
Shi Yu turned and walked back the way they came. “Since we're already here, there's no harm in taking a look. I'm actually quite interested in those spirit pupae the manager mentioned.”
However...
Although her wealth was quite substantial, it couldn't sustain such lavish spending.
The regular price for a vial of Phantom Spectral-Jade Butterfly phosphor powder was already one hundred medium-grade spirit stones. At an auction, the price would rise by at least twenty to thirty percent.
If she also intended to bid on spirit pupae and spirit flowers, her funds would likely run tight.
“As expected, spirit stones are something you can never have enough of, nor ever have too many of.”
In that case, she would need to raise more spirit stones over the next seven days. But in such a short amount of time... Shi Yu pondered for a moment, observing the numerous female cultivators bustling through the streets of Hundred Flowers City, and an idea gradually took shape.
The Nutmeg Orchid the Xie Clan gave me earlier has never been used.
This Nutmeg Orchid was part of the thank-you gifts presented by the Xie Clan when she saved Xie Zhixun back then. It was the main ingredient for refining Youth-Preserving Pills, making it perfectly suited for her current needs.
Rate on N.U.
